


Alive

by Kate_Shepard



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, Porn with Feelings, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 16:28:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11211846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_Shepard/pseuds/Kate_Shepard
Summary: After the events on the Archon's ship, Liam seeks out Ryder to deal with the emotional fallout.





	Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short one-shot because Liam just seemed too blase about watching Ryder die again given how deeply he feels everything.

“Ryder, have you got a minute?” Liam stood in the doorway of her cabin, raking a hand through his dark hair. 

“Sure. What’s up?” she asked, rising from her seat at the desk.

He walked into the room and paced in front of her couch, his movements jerky and uncertain. His warm brown eyes were more troubled than she’d seen them since they’d rescued Verand. Something was on his mind and she’d bet fifty credits it had to do with the events on the Archon’s ship. He’d initially played it off with his usual humor when they’d returned to the _Tempest_ , but she didn’t think he was in a joking mood now. 

“I can’t stop thinking about the Archon’s ship,” he finally said, confirming her suspicions. His rapid stride kept pace with his words. “You _died_ , Ryder. Right in front of me. Your heart stopped. That’s the second time I’ve watched you come back. What if SAM hadn’t been able to bring you back this time? It took more than one try. What if we’d lost you for good? What if… _I’d_ lost you for good?”

“Liam,” she said gently, “I’m fine. SAM did bring me back. Dwelling on what-ifs will only drive you crazy.”

“You’re just okay with this?” he demanded. “No way. Dondi…”

“I’m not Dondi,” she said. “I’m alive. That’s what matters.”

He stopped and turned to face her. “Look, I know you’ve been dealt some rough blows. You mum, your dad. Scott. The golden worlds turning out to be…not exactly golden. I just…I worry about you, you know? I mean, I know you’re not, you know, looking for it, but you flirt with death enough to make me think maybe you’re not as scared of it as you should be and that worries me.”

She crossed the room and placed her hands on his shoulders. The fabric of his shirt smoothed under her palms as she ran them down his arms and took his hands in hers. “I’m not suicidal if that’s what you’re asking,” she said. “I don’t want to die. There was no other option. If SAM hadn’t done what he did, gods only know what the Archon would have done to us.” She looked down as her fingers entwined with his and their palms came to rest against each other. “When I saw you trapped, it terrified me. I was afraid I’d led you to your death.”

His breath came out in a rush and he dropped his forehead to hers. “Guess we both got a scare then, eh?”

“Yeah. We did,” she said. 

“All right,” he sighed. “Just…as your boyfriend rather than your crew…. Don’t. Do. That. Again. Okay?”

“I can’t make any promises,” she said, looking up into the face that had become so precious to her in such a short amount of time. “You know that.”

“I don’t have to like it,” he said, scowling. “I don’t want to lose you.”

She wished she could tell him he wouldn’t, but that was a promise she couldn’t make. None of the original Pathfinders had survived Andromeda. Dad, lost on Habitat 7. Macen and Ishara on their arks. Raeka on the Archon’s ship when she’d chosen the krogan over the salarians. Who knew about the quarians? They were still lost. Being a Pathfinder had proven to be a dangerous job. She was two for two so far, but what about the next time? She wouldn’t make a promise to him that she couldn’t keep.

“You know that’s a risk,” she said quietly. “If you can’t handle it…”

“Don’t you dare,” he said. “I told you I was in. All the way. I meant it. I’m not going anywhere. I just…” He made a sound of frustration and released her hands to band his arms around her waist. He pulled her flush with him and his mouth crashed into hers in a clash of lips and tongues and teeth that translated his fear far more effectively than words.

She rose onto tiptoe to meet him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving in to her own fear. Seeing him helpless the way he’d been truly had terrified her. She’d thought she was going to be forced to watch him die—or worse, be ‘exalted’—and there was nothing she could do to stop it. If Raeka’s team hadn’t provided the distraction they did and pulled the Archon away, she likely would have lost him. She remembered all too clearly Jaal’s grief when they’d discovered what the kett were doing to the angara and he’d been forced to kill one who’d been one of his own. If the kett stole Liam, she’d put him down, but damn, it would kill her to do it.

Tracing her tongue with his, he swiftly stripped her of her shirt. She groaned in response and her hands traveled over his muscular chest before tugging his shirt over his head. Needy hands cupped her breasts and she pressed herself more fully into them. She gasped when his thumbs brushed over her nipples and he bent his head to run his teeth along the shell of her ear. When he scraped them over the top of her shoulder, she moaned and her nails dug into the back of his neck. He shuddered and groaned into her mouth. 

She gasped when his thumbs brushed against the waistband of her underwear and her hips rolled. It was all the encouragement he needed and he knelt to remove her boots and pants. Lovemaking with Liam was generally a lighthearted, fun endeavor, but there was nothing light about this. His hands were firm on her. His eyes were serious. He took her ankle in his hand and began running his lips and tongue up the inside of her leg. His mouth moved to her center and his tongue found her clit. He groaned into her as her fingers twined in his thick hair. 

He stroked her entrance with his tongue before slipping a finger inside of her and she groaned, “Oh, gods, Liam!” as her head fell back. He stood and carried her to the bed, dropping her unceremoniously onto it before stripping out of his boots and pants. She watched greedily as each inch of exposed skin presented itself. When he pounced onto the bed, kneeling over her, it wasn’t with his usual mischievous grin, but with single-minded purpose. He pressed himself against her slick center and rolled his hips, sliding into her as her legs locked around his waist. 

He stopped when he was fully inside of her and buried his hands in her hair. “I can’t lose you,” he said again. “I don’t care what it takes. I’m not letting you go.”

Before she could respond, he leaned down and trailed kisses down her neck. She groaned and tilted her head back to grant him access. Her breath came in rapid pants and her hips jerked up to meet him. He withdrew and thrust hard again, snapping his hips against her. She held tightly to him, riding the storm with him, and met his desperation with her own. She’d needed this. She’d needed the reminder that they were still alive, that they’d made it when she’d thought they wouldn’t. Again. 

He was terrified of losing her, but what would she do without _him_? He’d been with her from the very beginning. His had been one of the first faces she’d seen when she’d gotten out of cryo and the one she remembered out of those peering down at her when she’d been rushed back to the ship after Dad had given his life for her. He’d stayed with her, watching over her, and he continued to do so every day. He was always there when she needed him. She didn’t know how she would do any of this without him.

He pounded into her with deep, hard strokes that grew even more demanding. She cried out against him as he shifted her hips, hitting that spot deep inside of her. Fear, desire, desperation, and something she didn’t know if she was ready to name yet coalesced and then shattered inside of her. His mouth rejoined hers, kissing her deeply as his hands fisted in her hair and he stiffened above her. 

He collapsed onto her, shaking, and his rapid, panting breaths puffed against her throat. “Better?” she asked, trailing her fingertips over his shoulder. 

“I think so,” he said, tightening his arms around her. “We’re okay. Right?”

“Of course we are,” she said, turning her head to smile against his hair. His heartbeat thudded against her chest, making her aware of her own. She didn’t know what was coming tomorrow or the day after. Today, though, they were alive.


End file.
